Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy spent 13 seasons together in Green Bay, forging one of the NFL’s fiercest quarterback-coach partnerships. Now, they reunite again in Pittsburgh, with McCarthy once again calling the plays for Rodgers. But even after all those years together, Rodgers says there is still one challenge he is sure to face with the coach.
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It’s nothing more than McCarthy’s thick Western Pennsylvania accent! Rodgers joked that deciphering his former coach’s “Pittsburghese” voice in his helmet could be one of his biggest challenges this season.
“We’ve got a good relationship, quarterback to play-caller. There’s a lot of trust going both ways,” said Aaron Rodgers while speaking to the press, as shared by The Athletic’s NFL X .”I’m excited about what it’s going to feel like to hear his voice, a very Pittsburghese voice, in my helmet. It’s very tough sometimes.”
Well, McCarthy spent years coaching in Green Bay and Dallas, but guess his hometown accent never went anywhere. But Rodgers knows how to tackle the situation.
“You’ve really got to study the plan. Because he’ll say a word that, if you just, like, spell it out, even if you’re doing hooked on phonics, it would not sound anywhere near what he’s saying. So you got to know the plan pretty well to fill in the gaps in the language barrier.”
Language quirks aside, their mutual trust is the main reason Rodgers decided to return for his 22nd and final NFL season. Rodgers admitted that when Pittsburgh hired McCarthy as head coach, it reopened the door for him to play another year.
“When the decision was made to hire Mike, I started opening my mind back up to coming back,” Rodgers said.
Together, the duo has achieved it all, from a Super Bowl title to eight top-10 scoring offenses and two MVP awards. The Steelers wouldn’t have to worry about building the coach-and-quarterback rapport from scratch, which is a major advantage. However, there is one part of the reunion that will still feel a little new.
McCarthy hasn’t called plays since 2024 with the Cowboys, so getting back into that role with Rodgers will take some adjustment. The Steelers used all three preseason games to help him get back into the rhythm.
“We were able to get three games under our belt there,” McCarthy said. “So, looking forward to getting back in the saddle with Aaron. … It’s been a minute since him and I have worked together in that aspect of it.”
Their reunion comes as the Pittsburgh Steelers attempt to improve an offense that ranked 16th in scoring last season. The Steelers have also finished outside the top ten for six consecutive seasons, which created pressure on McCarthy to bring better consistency to the offensive unit.
Rodgers, meanwhile, is coming off a season in which he threw for 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions and helped lead Pittsburgh to the playoffs. The Steelers are now betting that another year of experience, combined with McCarthy’s familiarity, can push the offense forward.
The Steelers will play with Rodgers as their starting QB against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, September 13, starting at 1:00 p.m. ET.